INTERFOOD ANNOUNCES MARKET DEVELOPMENTS FOR BACON

Bacon is an important market for Interfood Technology, with the company involved in a number of areas of bacon production, from injecting, brine preparation, curing and smoking through to pressing and slicing solutions for both retail and bulk applications.

Automated Salt & Cure Depositing

The latest development is the introduction of a brand-new salt and cure depositing system. Manufactured by Sparc Systems, it is a bespoke design which automates the hand salting and curing process for bacon, maintaining the all-important quality while improving accuracy. It is already supplying the highest quality dry cured products into the major retail groups, with a system based on a continuous automatically driven line to provide a highly efficient solution for what is typically a labour-intensive process.

The system provides line operators with full control of product quality and the assurance of accurate dosing, with each bacon piece individually weighed for automatic calculation of the correct amount of salt and/or cure to be deposited directly onto it. Efficiency has also been addressed, with the capability for quick changeover of salt or cure type, while the system’s modular design allows it to be easily modified to increase volume through additional depositing stations, thereby future-proofing the salt and cure operation to meet changing needs. It is manufactured from heavy gauge AISI 304 stainless steel for increased rigidity and structural integrity, maximising load cell stability and accuracy.

New Brine Injector for Bacon

Injection is another important area for bacon processing. New from Interfood is the Schroeder IMAX 520 ST, developed specifically for bacon with a new manifold design to ensure uniform brine distribution in all primals. All machine parameters are easily controlled via the new touchscreen control and the high-performance brine filter system ensures consistent flow through the needles. As with all Schroeder machines hygienic design, excellent build quality and reliability come as standard. The injector can integrate into an existing line or a complete custom solution can be developed to fit specific requirements.

Bacon Pressing with Online Support

The latest development in the Hoegger range of meat and bacon presses is the introduction of networking options to enable remote access, providing the capability to offer online technical support and OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness), thereby maximising the potential of the presses.

With its 2, 3 and 4 series, Hoegger offers an option to suit any bacon pressing application. From the Model 2 (primarily for crust frozen product) offering a capacity of up to 7 cycles per minute through to the Model 4 with a capacity of up to 14 cycles per minute, all are designed to maximise yield and minimise give-away. Even in the case of irregularly shaped products - typical of bacon - three-dimensional form pressing ensures controlled but gentle forming of the product, thereby guaranteeing maximum yield. The patented design of Hoegger’s Flexible Die System, along with dynamic pressing, minimises wrinkles in the product, therefore giving a considerable improvement in pack presentation.

Space is often at a premium in pressrooms. Hoegger has therefore developed various modular systems making them ideal for the most efficient utilisation of space. This modular approach offers flexibility in the choice available, from simple, freestanding machines through to fully automated, high-capacity production lines. These developments are part of an ongoing process to continually innovate and improve the pressing process for customers, providing the flexibility required to optimise production of bacon and many other meats.

Slicing Solutions

Interfood is the exclusive distributor in the UK and Ireland for the Weber range of slicers. In addition, the new range of simpler, cost efficient and compact slicers from Textor - also part of the Weber family - provides alternative solutions in many applications.

Interfood can now offer Bulk Bacon slicers capable of 4,000KG’s per hour in a very compact and cost efficient self-contained slicer. For retail applications, the range of machines currently available from Weber will now be complemented by Textor slicers, providing the ability to offer the best and most cost-effective solution for any application from either manufacturer. 2017 will be an exciting time for slicer development, with a particular focus from both Weber and Textor jointly on the bacon sector. Interfood has several advancements due shortly from both manufacturers that will enable greater capacity, lower investment costs and smaller space requirements from slicing lines. However, Interfood is not just about slicing portions of bacon: a recent focus being the seasonal pressure from the demand for value added products. A great example of this is Pigs in Blankets. Many manufacturers have recognised the yield and quality advantage of slicing bacon for this application on an entry level simple Weber slicer. For 2017 Interfood will be able to offer higher capacity solutions from Textor, retaining the simplicity and quality but with continuous slice output optimising line efficiency.